Gifts Today magazine

Growth for Ambiente 2016

From contract business to sustainability we highlight the growth areas from the recently-held Frankfurt fair

Ambiente, the world’s leading trade fair for the consumer-goods industry, closed its doors on 16 February after welcoming more visitors and recording a further increase in the level of internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides.

Ambiente 2016 delivered success both in its contract business programme and in its brand-new Ethical Style Guide with growth and success witnessed in both areas.

The right platform for contract businessThe range of services and facilities for the contract business at Ambiente, which was introduced in 2012, proved even more successful this year, with some 270 exhibitors taking part in the ‘Contract Business’ programme, including Dôme Deco, Eurofashion Home Concepts.

Talking about the contract business at Ambiente, Dome Deco, Eurofashion Home Concepts’ proprietor, Stefan Verheyen, says: “We are very pleased with the fair, especially because we believe that retailers are looking for holistic interior concepts that possess a certain identity and appeal. This is exactly what we offer and have, therefore, been very successful in terms of orders taken and customer contacts made. We had many inquiries from the concept oriented contract business. The export field is also becoming more important while business with the smaller retailers somewhat declined. Hence, the large number of export customers from both Asia and the Middle East compensated for this very well.”

For Alexander Haas, sales manager at Scholtissek, Ambiente is also exactly the right platform for the contract business. “At Ambiente, we focus not only on the holistic contract business but also on the accessory business with our partners. Among our visitors, there are lots of contract-business specialists who, for example, furnish seminar rooms in hotels. We also have law firms, who come to us via architects, and senior centres. This is our primary business in Frankfurt, and something that functions particularly well at Ambiente. Frankfurt is the right platform where we meet the people from this segment who buy from us.”

Sustainable products growing in significanceIn addition to the design and colour trends, there is an overall trend towards sustainable product concepts. It is rarely the case that a product is demanded solely for its sustainable origins.

This attribute is only a highlight because, fundamentally, the product must comply with the same quality and design requirements as conventional consumer goods. Therefore, Ambiente ensures greater transparency for its buyers with the Ethical Style Guide. Because there is no system of certification for products in the home, giving and furnishing segments, the aim of the Ethical Style is to help professional buyers find their way around this growing segment of the market.

Next year, Ambiente will be held from 10 to 14 February 2017 and spotlight British design.